Belly-warming detox soup!

Autumn is officially starting to take hold in Sydney. The days are still sunny and warm but the mornings and evenings are definitely getting colder.

And these cool, dark evenings coupled with a little bit too much indulgence over easter (mmmm hot cross buns!!!!) inspired me to cook up a huge pot of belly-warming vegetable soup for the week. 

I cook this up almost every other weekend during winter. Because I work full-time plus now with teaching yoga on the side, it is so great to have my dinner sorted out - a massive batch will last me for most of the week. I just come home, heat it up and I have got a nutritious, warming and filling dinner. 

And because it has nothing but good stuff in it, it is great for those times when you have been eating too many crappy foods and want to detox. Nothing but vegetables and legumes with a little coconut oil and lots of spices! 

And it is stupid easy to make. Like, ridiculously easy.

Ingredients:

- Lots of vegetables 

Can't make vegetable soup without 'em! I don't really have a set recipe for my soup and the veges change each time I make it. Other than that, I just chuck in whatever vegetables I felt like buying that week (or what I can find/ what is on special!). Last week this included carrots, celery, cauliflower, butternut pumpkin, broccoli, zucchini and a leek. 

- 2 brown onions 

- 2 cloves of garlic

- Coconut oil (about a tablespoon)

You can use any oil, but as you will be using it for browning the onions and leeks, I like to use coconut oil because it has a high smoking point so won't oxidise when heated at high temperatures. It is also has many other great benefits that have been written about extensively. Here is a starting point though if you are curious.

- Tumeric (2 teaspoons)

- Chilli flakes (1 - 2 teaspoons depending on how spiky you like your food)

- Cumin seeds (1 heaped tablespoon)

- Vegetable stock powder (3 teaspoons) 

- Dried lentils (3/4 cup)

You can use any kind of lentils that take your fancy - brown, green, red, yellow - it is all good. Or even swap them out for dried beans like navy beans.

- Split peas (1/2 cup)

Make it happen

Chop all the veges into bite sized chunks. If you are going to blend the soup (you can leave it chunky if you prefer), the size of the pieces doesn't matter that much but they will cook quicker if they aren't too big. Finely slice the onions and leeks (if you are using them).

Heat the coconut oil in a really big-ass pot. Once it covers the bottom of the pot, chuck in the onions. Keep stirring them until they go a nice golden colour.

Add in the turmeric, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, leek and garlic. (I just use a garlic crusher on mine but you can just as easily chop it finely with a small, sharp knife.) Keep stirring until the leek goes nice and soft.

Drop in all the veges, the lentils and the split peas and pour in enough water to cover everything with about an inch of water above it. Add the stock powder.

Give it a quick stir, take it to the boil and then allow it to simmer over a low heat with the lid on the pot.

And then you just wait! Leave it on for an hour or so, giving it a stir now and then to make sure it is all looking good.

Enjoy!

Once it is done, you can serve it straight up if you want it chunky or otherwise put it in the blender for a few seconds to make a smooth, thick soup. Add a piece of heavy, grainy bread if you want or just enjoy it as it is.

It will keep in the fridge for about a week and freezes well too. And the best thing is - it tastes even better the day after you make it.

YUM!!!!!

Smiley happy yogi

Ever since I started my yoga teacher training last year, one piece of sagely advice that I consistently receive from other teachers is to make sure I keep up my personal practice.

While it was clearly sound advice, I honestly thought it wouldn't be much of an issue for me. I mean, I LOVE yoga. There is no way that I would neglect my own practice just because I was teaching as well. If anything, teaching will just make me even more focussed on my practice.

Fast-forward 12 months, I am now teaching a couple of regular classes a week on the side of my fairly demanding full-time job. And my personal practice? Well, let's just say that it isn't receiving the kind of attention that it deserves. Yep. Everyone was right.

You see, when I'm not at work or teaching a class, I am planning my classes, trying to get more classes, volunteering to teach community classes or to help out at events - not to mention the admin that my new side-venture has created. Don't get me wrong - I am absolutely loving it (well maybe not the admin). But I feel like I am already yoga-ing all over the place before I even get to my own practice!

Motivation for my regular practice had definitely waned. Something that used to be an immense source of joy for me became something that I needed to fit into my week somewhere. Like jumping on the treadmill. Or doing the laundry.

Not great.

I had been aware that this was a less than ideal situation for a while but kind of hoped it would sort itself out over time. It wasn't until took a class with Eoin Finn (blissology.com) at the Sydney Wanderlust Festival (where I was volunteering of course!) that I realised what I needed to do to get me out of my yoga funk: Make it fun again!

You see, one of the side-effects of becoming a qualified yoga teacher was this increased awareness of every aspect of every pose that I do. As I move through my asanas, I had got into a habit of mentally checking off every point of alignment, constantly making refinements and perfecting my pose. I am even ticking off the contraindications and options that I could give to students if I was teaching the pose. Basically, every practice started to feel like I was prepping for an exam.

So when Eoin opened his class saying that we would be doing some kinda out-there, non-traditional moves (incorporating flowing transitions inspired by his love of surfing) my eyes lit up! The next hour or so was spent exploring movement, feeling into the poses and - yes - having a whole lot of fun. For the first time in ages, I felt like I could really get out of my head and not only into my body but also into my heart - letting my movements be led by what felt good instead of just doing what I was supposed to do.

Since that class, I have been on the look out for other ways that I can to bring more happy to my practice. I have been taking workshops, trying new classes, doing classes with friends and making new, upbeat playlists for my home practice. But perhaps the simplest way I have found is to just set an intention at the beginning of class to bring lightness to the class, to smile lots and to just not take it all so seriously.

Because at the end of the day, it's just yoga, right?

Namaste! xox 

How to deal

Something happened in my life last year that probably should have caused me to have a major emotional meltdown. And, if I am honest, for a few days it kinda did.

It was one of those knock-you-on-your-arse, punch-you-in-the-guts kind of ordeals that shakes your confidence and really makes you start to question your self-worth.

Nasty.

And it probably would have totally flattened me for months - maybe even years - if it had happened any earlier in my life. But instead, I bounced back incredibly quickly. Like - in less than a week.

This is because, lucky for me, it all happened while I was in the middle of two things:

• My yoga teacher training (in fact, the day after it happened, I spent the weekend in intensive training with my gorgeous fellow yogis); and 
• Reading the book "Spirit Junkie" by Gabrielle Bernstein.

Source: www.amazon.com

So instead of falling into a down spiral of funky badness, when I was confronted with this moment, I was prepared for it. Instead of letting this thing that was happening to me, however crappy, take me down, I was able to deal with it in a way that left me feeling ok. Look - I am not over the moon about it and I would have preferred if it hadn't happened at all - but have moved on. In fact, a lot of positive things have happened as a result that make me think that it was something that just *had* to happen so that I could move on to the next stage of my life. 

Aside from recommending that you undertake a yoga teacher training and reading Gabrielle's book yourself (ok - maybe reading the book is more doable in the short-to-medium term - but BOTH have changed my life for the better so it will be a great start).

I thought I would share some of the key insights that these gave me though to help me recover so quickly and to actually come out the other end feeling stronger and more sure of myself.

1. Let yourself feel
With life moving so fast, it can be really tempting to just shut down your emotions when something bad happens so that you can just keep going. We seldom have the luxury of time to allow ourselves to be absorbed in how we are feeling about a negative situation. Whether you tell yourself to "keep your chin up" or to "harden the f**k up", these are all ways that we tell ourselves that our emotions should be pushed aside.

But just telling yourself that you are fine doesn't actually make the feelings go away. And until you acknowledge how a situation has made you feel, it is impossible to get past it.

This isn't to say that you should drop everything in the middle of the office and chuck a total wobbly or disintegrate into a blubbering mess. But when you do have the time and space (and if this isn't looking likely make the time and space), let yourself feel all the emotions that have bubbled up. Cry. Be angry. Vent your frustrations out in a journal or to someone you can trust. Just let it all out.

But don't stay in this place too long. This ceases to be useful if you just dwell in a place of self-pity. So get it all out and then start to look at what you need to do next.

2. Recognise what is true
This is crucial to help you avoid a total downward spiral. Once you have allowed your emotions to appear and sat with them for a while, take note of those thoughts that keep coming up over and over. Meditate on them Write each one down on the top of a piece of paper. Underneath each one, jot down any thoughts that come up around them. Really deconstruct each one. And once you've got it all written out, read it back and try to read it as though a friend had written it all out. What would you say to a friend who was having these thoughts?

Chances are, you would tell your friend that a lot of these thoughts aren't real. That they are based on false assumptions, catastrophising (giving too much weight to worst possible outcomes, even though they are unlikely to ever eventuate) or negative thoughts about your self-worth. Which is totally normal when you are going through something bad - but if you don't get a handle on these thoughts early on, it can be hard to regain perspective and they start to seem like your reality - and may even become your reality if you give them too much attention.

Once you get a hold of what is real and what is not, whenever one of the negative thoughts comes up, resist the urge to ruminate on it and start to challenge what it is saying by using the words that you would say to your friend in the same situation. Eventually, the thoughts will lose their power until they stop showing up at all.

3. Surround yourself with good people

This is great advice at any time - but is especially important when you are going through a tough time. First of all, they will help you fight the negative, untrue thoughts that come up. They will also remind you how awesome you are and how whatever it is you are going through is just temporary. They will let you cry, let you get angry, give you sage advice, distract you, make you laugh - all those good things.

But for the time being, maybe say "no" to meeting up with that overly negative or competitive friend (or maybe, more accurately, "frenemy"). Trust me - you might feel a twinge of guilt when you turn them down, but now is the time to be there for yourself. So ditch the guilt, and put yourself first. Seriously.

4. Forgive - no matter how ridiculous that seems

While the other steps all helped me a lot, this one was probably key to me getting back up again after being smacked to the ground. And this is the one thing that I had never thought of doing before. Usually, I would blame myself or I would blame someone else. And I thought that was a good thing. Because it has to be someone's fault, right?

Well, maybe. And maybe not. But most importantly, it just doesn't matter. I'm going to repeat that because it is super important: It. Doesn't. Matter.

Gabrielle Bernstein swears by forgiveness to help you move forward. In her own words: "Rather than continuing to play the role of victim, we can forgive and be set free. With each choice to forgive, we shift our perception from fear to love."

Being angry or blaming someone else doesn't actually bring you any peace or make you feel better. And it has zero impact on the person that you are angry at. So what do you have to lose? Instead of holding on to these negative emotions, just release the person from your anger. You don't have to do it in person (that might actually be counterproductive). In Spirit Junkie, there is a meditation that you can use to help you visualise the person (or yourself) and start to breakdown the emotions that you are feeling towards them. You start to accept the situation for what it is (you don't have to take on the blame if you didn't do anything wrong - it is about releasing the other person, not saying sorry) and just let it go. Again - you might have to work on this for a while, but by shifting the way you think about the situation, you can actually start to heal and move on.

5. Shift your focus to the rest of your life

When something bad happens in our lives, it tends to suck up all of our energy. And while this is fine for a while, it you keep feeding the situation with all of your time and attention, it can be difficult to find a way out. So once you start to heal (using the tips above), start to refocus on all of those amazing things in your life. Don't think they exist? I am betting they do, but until you are in a place to see them, why not create something amazing in your life? Take a course, try a new sport, book a holiday, paint, dance, write - whatever will make your heart sing will also start to heal your pain.

I hope the above tips are helpful. I don't mean to make it all sound so easy - I know that it isn't. And it sucks!!! But by taking control and having a plan to get yourself back on top, you will be in a much better place than if you just let yourself get swept away by sadness and/ or anger.

Namatse my lovelies xox 

Cleaning up your act

It is 2014! And so far, so good.

If you checked out my last post, you will know that I am not really into conventional resolutions. I'm also not that into extreme diets or restrictive eating to lose weight - even after periods of prolonged periods of pigging out   (aka my Christmas break).

But if you have been slacking off on the diet front, the new year is a great time to get back into healthy eating.

If it's this green, it has GOT to be good.

So if healthy eating is one of your goals for 2014, here are a few tips to keep you on the wagon:

1. Don't try to do it all at once! If you have accumulated a whole bunch of bad habits, don't try to ditch them all at once - you will most likely feel overwhelmed and give up if you do. Pick the worst habit - maybe drinking too much alcohol or coffee or eating too much fried or sugary foods - and work on removing that one first. Once you get a handle on that one, you will feel more accomplished and ready to start tackling the rest of your habits. Just tweaking your diet like this over time can create massive changes that are more likely to last. 
2. Focus on the good stuff. If you only focus on the things that you can't eat any more, you are only going to be miserable. Which means that you will probably not want to keep going. Instead, treat the goal of healthy eating as a positive. Learn new recipes, try new foods, read up on nutrition and how you can use food as fuel and to heal. Get excited about your new path and you will want to keep it up.
3. Don't rely on exercise alone. If you want to be healthy and to feel great, it doesn't matter how much yoga, running or sessions at the gym you do, you won't feel great. Even if you happen to lose weight or you are already naturally thin, if you eat junk, you will feel crap. Your body needs nutrient-dense, whole foods to feel great - so fuel your body with lots of healthy foods, mostly plants, in as close to their natural state as possible. 
4. Be wary of crazy diets. While you are researching health and nutrition, you are bound to come across some weird diet plans. While it is interesting to read up on these and get inspiration and ideas, I would caution against following any one in particular. Especially if they tell you to avoid large, seemingly healthy food groups, like grains or fruit. Sure, you don't want to be eating all the white bread you can find - but there is no reason to avoid brown rice, oats or other whole grains completely (unless of course you have an intolerance or are allergic). And treat any diet that tells you not to eat mangoes or any other fruit with great suspicion (because seriously, if you can't enjoy mangoes in the summertime, what is the damn point?!?). 
5. You don't need pills or special shakes to be healthy. Diet pills and shakes are just short-term solutions and are full of chemicals. You don't need them. If you are eating a balanced diet based mostly on fresh vegetables, whole grains, pulses, nuts and seeds, you will start noticing results and feel amazing.  Also, Eating well doesn't have to be expensive - which might be hard to believe if you take any advice from Gwyneth Paltrow. Sure there are lots of amazing super foods out there that cost a bunch and come with all sorts of wonderful health claims, but they aren't essential to a healthy diet. Want to find health? Keep it clean and unprocessed - it is that easy. 
6. Drink lots of water! But you already knew that one, right?  

When in doubt, make a green smoothie! Filling, yummy and healthy as.

I am sure there are plenty of others but these ones seem the most important to me. Hopefully they are helpful in getting you back on the path of good health. And if you wander off the path at any point? No big deal. Just start back where you left off, remind yourself why it is that you are making health your priority, and don't dwell on the slip. Because slips happen. What matters is what you do afterwards.

Shanti!
xx